Association of adipose most abundant transcript 1 gene (apM1) with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population: a meta-analysis of case-control studies

Background Polymorphisms of the adipose most abundant transcript 1 gene (apM1) may be closely associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) as described in several recent publications. In the present study, a meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively analyse the association of apM1 polymorphisms with T2DM using previous case-control studies in Chinese populations.

Research design and method Several electronic databases were searched for relevant articles up to January 2007. After data collection and gene loci selection, a meta-analysis was performed to assess heterogeneity, combine results and evaluate variations. Publication bias was examined by the Egger's linear regression test and fail-safe number for P = 0·05 (Nfs_0·05). Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) test and different effect models were employed for the sensitivity analysis.

Results The meta-analysis for this study included 2379 subjects from nine studies. The distribution of SNP45TG + GG and SNP276GG polymorphisms of the apM1 was analysed. Results of these experiments revealed a significant association between the SNP45TG + GG and SNP276GG polymorphisms of apM1 with T2DM in Chinese populations (P ≤ 0·05). There was some heterogeneity in the SNP45TG + GG apM1 among these studies. The odds ratio (OR) of apM1 genotype SNP45TG + GG in T2DM was 1·59 when compared with controls (95% CI, 1·00–2·53, P = 0·05), and the OR for the wild-apM1 genotype SNP276GG in T2DM was 1·26 (95% CI, 1·00–1·59, P = 0·05). The publication bias diagnostics and sensitivity analysis confirmed the reliability and stability of this meta-analysis.

Conclusion This apM1 polymorphism was found to be strongly associated with T2DM, and the SNP45TG + GG and SNP276GG forms of the apM1 increased risk for T2DM in Chinese populations.